Every time I replay The Witcher 3, I swear I will not hoard swords like a medieval magpie. Then I spot a new diagram in some dusty chest and forget who I am. If you are the same, consider this a bit of friendly structure before you sink another hour into rummaging through ruins that smell like drowners.
This guide focuses on the weapons that genuinely shape your playthrough. No filler. No shiny-but-useless curios. Just the blades and bows that hold up across the game.
Aerondight
Why It Stands Out
This is the closest thing the game has to a moral reward. It grows stronger the more you land damage without being hit, which feels incredibly fair until a stray dog throws a tantrum and ruins everything.
How to Get It
Awarded during the quest There Can Be Only One in Toussaint. You need to embody five knightly virtues. The game is picky but not cruel, and you can complete most of them without trying to roleplay a saint.
Wolven School Gear
Why It Stands Out
A build that makes you feel like Geralt is actually thinking before swinging. Sign intensity, crit chance and a steady damage curve that avoids the ugly dips other sets struggle with.
Where It Is
The base set starts in Kaer Morhen. Upgrade diagrams are scattered across Velen, Novigrad and Skellige. Expect ruined towers, caves and the usual Witcher health hazards.
Ursine School Gear
Why It Stands Out
For when you want Geralt to hit things so hard that physics politely steps aside. Heavy, brutal and perfect for players who enjoy rolling into battle like a mobile anvil.
Where It Is
Diagrams begin on Ard Skellig in a cave full of creatures who disagree with your shopping trip. Later upgrades are spread across the Isles. Bring Swallow and a sense of resignation.
Feline School Gear
Why It Stands Out
Fast attacks turn into a buzzing blur, and the armour boosts your crit damage so much that your enemies end up regretting their entire spawn cycle.
Where It Is
Start in Novigrad, mostly in guarded ruins and hideouts that scream “someone definitely died here”. Upgrades later scatter into Velen and Skellige.
Viper Venomous Steel Sword
Why It Stands Out
Early game monster. Strong poison effects. Basically turns necrophages into leaking sacks of regrets.
How to Get It
Found in the Hearts of Stone expansion during the main quest Open Sesame, tucked inside the auction house vault. Perfect for players who like a powerful start.
Viper Venomous Silver Sword
Why It Stands Out
Pairs beautifully with the steel version, especially for monster-heavy routes. Damage ramps up cleanly and feels great through early and mid game.
How to Get It
Reward for completing Whatsoever a Man Soweth in Hearts of Stone.
Toussaint Knight’s Steel Sword
Why It Stands Out
A gorgeous blade with solid all round stats, and you can realistically pick it up before Aerondight if your virtue game is not quite there yet.
How to Get It
Looted from knightly opponents or found in high level chests in Toussaint. The region loves handing you pretty weapons, so stay curious.
Hen Gaidth Steel and Silver Sets
Why They Stand Out
Peak vampire chic. High stats, powerful bonuses and a colour scheme that makes you look like you are on a cursed fashion runway.
How to Get Them
Inside the Unseen Elder’s crypt during What Lies Unseen. You must commit to that narrative path, so choose wisely.
Mastercrafted Griffin Gear
Why It Stands Out
Perfect for players who live for Signs. Igni becomes a flamethrower, Quen feels like tactical insurance, and Yrden actually behaves like a grown up.
Where It Is
Scattered across Velen and Skellige. Lots of ruins, lots of ghosts who seem surprised you can walk through walls they cannot.
Tips for Getting the Best Weapons at the Right Time
If you pick up every diagram the game throws at you, you will end up with a backpack that looks like a travelling flea market. Better approach: choose one Witcher gear line early, stick with it for a while, and only change when the stats make the switch obvious.
Keep an eye on level requirements too. Some early weapons outpace late ones if you upgrade them consistently. And do not ignore runestones. A good set of crit or sign stones can turn an ordinary sword into something worth bragging about.
The Seven Swords Takeaway
The Witcher 3 never pushes one perfect build. It rewards changing gear as you go and trying weapons that suit how you fight that day. Sometimes that means rolling around like a caffeinated cat, sometimes that means tanking hits like a seasoned wall. Either way, the weapons here will not disappoint.
